Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Thursday that the Canadians on board the Gaza-bound freedom flotilla that was intercepted by Israel are safe and will be transferred to Türkiye.
Activists say that 12 Canadians were among the participants in the Global Resilience Flotilla that were arrested by Israel.
“Consular officials will be present to meet and support Canadians upon their arrival in Istanbul. Officials at our embassy in Tel Aviv are engaged throughout and remain ready to provide immediate assistance. Canada expects full respect for the rights and safety of all civilians,” Anand said in a statement released Thursday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called Israel’s treatment of fleet members “abhorrent” and “unacceptable” on Wednesday after a video surfaced showing activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs being taunted by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Anand also told reporters on Wednesday that she had directed Canada’s Department of Global Affairs to summon Israel’s ambassador over the treatment of Canadians on board the fleet. She reiterated this call in her statement on social media on Thursday, but did not indicate whether Ambassador Ido Moede had met with her or her officials.
The Canadian Press asked the Israeli Embassy in Canada about the summons on Wednesday. In a response sent Thursday, a spokesman said Moeed “has no comment at this time.”
The flotilla, consisting of about 420 activists and 41 boats, attempted to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn region.
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All the activists boarded planes heading to Istanbul on Thursday. They are expected to undergo medical examinations, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “all foreign activists” on board the flotilla had been deported.
Israel described the flotilla as a “public relations stunt in the service of Hamas” with no real intention of delivering aid to Gaza. The boats carry a symbolic amount of aid.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he had ordered the activists deported “as quickly as possible” and rebuked Ben Gvir over the video. Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop “the provocative fleets of Hamas terrorist supporters,” Ben Gvir’s treatment of activists “is not in line with Israeli values and norms.”
Canada has already imposed sanctions on Ben Gvir for his repeated incitement to violence, and he is banned from traveling to the country.
Ontario Liberal MP Salma Zahid said in a statement posted online that Canada should impose broad sanctions on Netanyahu’s government because Ben Gvir remains in government.
“It is time for Canada to go further and impose strong and wide-ranging sanctions on the Netanyahu government. It is clear that Netanyahu supports and endorses his minister’s violent and unlawful behavior,” she wrote.
“Canada’s support for human rights and international law must be backed by action.”
—With files from The Associated Press
& Edition 2026 The Canadian Press
